Opera-glass.



l PATENTED JUNE 16, 1903.. J. W. RIGLANDER & B. H. BLANK. v`

OPERA GLASS.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.18, 1902.

N0 MODEL.'

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UNITED STATES? Patented June 16, 1903.

PATENT Gir-FICE.'

JACOB WV. RIGIIANDER AND BERNARD H. BLANKfOF NEINl YORK, N. Y.

o PERA-fc LAS s.

SIPECliICATION' forming part of Letters Patent N o. 730,972, dated. J' une 16, 1903.

Application filed october 18, 1902. seal N0.'127,7`91. (mma-.1.1 i

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, J A0013 W. RIGLANDERV and BERNARD H. BLANK, citizens. of the United States, and residents of the city and county of New York, borough of Manhattan, and State of New York, have invented certion.

The object of our invention is to combine in an opera or eld glass of the kind which has the usual movable sections (one part carrying the object-lenses and the other the eyepieces) improved means for operating the movable sections or extending or retracting them relatively Ato each other and means for holding or supporting the glass.

Our improvements reside in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and further pointed out in the claims. Y

In the drawings formingpart of this specifcation, Figure 1 is a perspective elevation of a glass embodying ourimprovements. Fig.

2 is a sectional elevation on the line a a', Fig.

l, combined with an operating and carrying handle, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a crosssection on theliue mw, Fig. 1, looking in theV been applied, which, however, may be of anysuitable and proper construction.

At 1 are the -main tubes secured together by the top and bottom cross-pieces 2 and 3,`

which cross-pieces are in turn secured in place in the usual manner by the objectivelens rings 4 and the bushings 5. At 6 are the sliding tubes secu red together by the cross-bar 7, upon which are fitted the eyepieces 8 in the usual way.

At 9 is the pillar or standard extending between the cross-pieces and into a recess 10 (shown in dotted lines," Fig. 4) in the crosspiece 3.

In the usual or ordinary construction a cross-bar connecting the sliding tubes is movably connected to the main-tube frame by a piece which extends into the main pillar and which is adapted to slide in and out of the same and to be operated by a small wheel secured upon the main-frame pillar, which in turn acts upon the posts to project or retract the posts and sliding tubes.

One of the objects of our invention is to enable the posts and the sliding tubes and the parts carried thereby to be projected or retracted by a handle, which is adapted to be detachably secured to the main frame and Whicb'may be used for either carrying the 'glass or to support the saine while in use both before an-'d aftertadjustment, which latter is preferably of the collapsible or telescopic kind, so that in either event after the handle is secured to the glass, which may be readily accomplished, the same may be adjusted or focused through the use of the handle. Following out this general scheme of improvement we have illustrated an embodiment of though itis obvious that it may be formed from one integral piece, if desired. At its upper end the rod 15 is secured to the crosspiece 7 by means of a screw v16= and at its llower end the parts 12 and 15 are secured by 4means of a cap-screw 17, which acts with the :bushing 26 as a stop to limit the extension of the glass. The tubular post 11 is preferably finished or japanned to conform to the finish of the glass; but this may be as desired. The pillar 9 is provided with an enlargement 18 and a transverse aperture 19, extending-.to

IOO

and opening into the space or bore 20, through which the toothed rack 14 passes. The enlargement 18 of the pillar 9 has a removable portion 21, which is separated in a plane substantially parallel to the axis and is held to the part 18 by means of the flared end 22 of the tube 23 whichforms the lower portion of the pillar 9, and the reduced portion 24 of the parts 21 and 18 projects into an opening 25 in the cross-piece'2. To further secure the pillar in place, a bushing 26 passes through the cross-piece 2 and is screwed into the threaded aperture 20 of the enlargement 18 and is prevented from unscrewing by a small screw 27. On the outer surfaces of the parts 18 and 21 are cut-away portions 18 and 21 to form a recess in which the collar 32 is placed.

At 28 is a pinion mounted upon a shaft 29, one end of the shaft being set in the enlargement, the other end, 30, being squared and extending rearwardly from the enlargement, the shaft being placed at a right angle to a line parallel to the' longitudinal axis of the post 11, on which the rack is formed, so that the pinion will mesh with the teeth of said rack uniformly and without undue friction. The pinion is secured from longitudinal displacement by means of shoulders 3l in the openings 19.

Close to the squared portion of the shaft 29 is a collar 32 with an external screw-thread, and this collar maybe either integral with the shaft 9 or fixed thereto, as may be preferred.

The upper portion of the bar 11 is guided by the bushing 26, and the lower portion is guided in a second bushing 33, screwed into the part 18. This bushing has a recess through which the pinion 28 engages the rack 14. A

The pinion may be operated by any snitable handle, although we prefer to use one or the other of the forms described below. In each of these is a shank 34, provided at one end with a squared bore 35 to lit the squareI portion 30 of the shaft 29, and on this shank 34 is an angular flange 36, fitted to the shank 34; but free to turn thereon is a sleeve 37, made of two parts 38 and 39, screwed together and provided with a recess 40 to slide over the flange 36 and to be limited in its movement thereby. The sleeves are united by means of screw-threads, as stated above, and are prevented from becoming detached by means of aset-screw 41. The outer end of the sleeve 38 is provided with internal screw-threads 42, which are adapted to engage the threads on the part 32 of the spindle 29. When the handle is attached to the glass, the squared bore 35 is placed on the. part 30 of the shaft 2,9. The sleeve 37 is then screwed to the threads 32 until the ange 36 rests against the outer edge of the groove 40. When this is done, the shank 34 is rigidly held to the spindle 29, so that both move as one piece. A reversal of this operation will separate these parts. To enable the shank to be turned, we provide handles, which we will now proceed to describe.

In the modification shown in Figs. 2 and 5 the shank 34 has two projecting lugs 43, between which passes the lug 44 on the ring 45. A screw 46, passing through the lugs 43 and 44, pivots the said ring, so that it may be turned in the position shown when it is in use or into the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2 when the glass is putin a case.

In Figs. 6, 7, and 8 We have shown another modification of the handle. In this form the shank 34 has tubular prolongation 47, which closely lits an ornamental casing or tube 48 and is brazed or otherwise fixed thereto. It is obvious that this casing may be dispensed with if such a construction is considered desirable. At the lower ends of the tubes 47 and 48 is crazed a slide 49, having a squared bore 50 concentric with said tubes and a iiange 51, which comes in contact with a bushing 52, which forms a stop to prevent further elongation of the handle. The bushing 52 is screwed into the upper portion of a casing 53 and locked therein by means of a set-screw 54,

and at the outer end of the flange is a bushing 55, which may be either integral therewith or rigidly attached thereto. Between the flange 55 and the casing 53 We generally place an annulus 56, as this makes a better construction. The outside of the casing 53 may be covered with any suitable material, such as leather, and in the lower portion of the casing we fix a bushing 57, having internal screw-threads '58, which iit the threads 59 of a plug 60. This because the tubes 47 and 48 telescope in the casing 53, but cannot turn relatively thereto, because of the slide 49 and the square rod 63 vpassing therethrough and xed in the casing.

While we have employed the term square las applied to the parts 30 and 63, we wish it understood that we do so for clearness and yconvenience and that instead of a square rod any equivalent structure may be used-that is, any'rod that is uniform in cross-section except a circular oneand of course if the parts 30 and 63 are so changed the bores they fit must also be correspondingly changed.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is 1. A pillar for opera-glasses or similar articles, comprising a tubular lower section, an

lupper section divided into twoparts by a IOS plane substantially parallel to the axis, the said parts being united by the tubular lower section.

2. A pillar for opera-glasses or similar articles, comprising a tubular lower section, a recessed upper section divided into two parts by a plane parallel to the axis, a journalbearing in said parts, and means for securing them together.

3. A pillar for opera-glasses or similar articles, comprising a tubular lower section, a hollow upper section divided into two parts by a plane substantially parallel to the axis of the pillar, journal-bearings in said parts which are enlarged to form a space for a pinion, one of said enlargements opening into the center of the said upper section.

4. A pillar for opera-glasses or similar articles, comprising a tubular lower section, an upper section divided into two recessed parts by a plane substantially parallel to the axis of the pillar, and journal-bearings in said parts, said parts being reducedvto form a recess atthe outer end of said journal-bearings.

5. A pillar for opera-glasses or similar articles, comprising a tubular lower section, a hollow upper section divided into two parts by a plane substantially parallel to the axis, and a bushing in said hollow upper section.

G. An opera-glass or similar article provided with a pillar consisting of an upper and lower section, the upper section being divided into two parts by a plane substantially parallel to the axis of the pillar, an upper crosspiece with an opening therein adapted to receive the two parts of the upper section of the pillar, and securing them together.

7. An opera-glass or similar article provided with a pillar consisting of upper and lower sections, the upper section being divided into two parts by a plane, across-piece which holds the said parts together, and a bushing extendinginto said upper section and securing the cross-piece to the pillar.

8. An opera-glass or similar article provided with a pillar consisting of upper and lower sections, the upper section being divided into two parts by a plane, a cross-piece which holds said parts together, a bushing screwed in said upper section and securing same to the cross-piece. e

9. An opera-glass or similal article, provided with a rack-bar consisting of an outer cylinder, having a longitudinal slot, and a rod fitting said cylinder with teeth protruding into the slot.

lO. An opera-glass or similar article, provided with a pillar having a central bore, and comprising upper and lower sections, said upper sections being divided into two parts by a plane substantially parallel to the axis of the pillar, a spindle journaled in said parts having a pinion which enters the center bore.

11. An opera-glass or similar article provided with a pillar having a center bore and consisting of two sections, the upper section being divided into two parts by a longitudinal plane, the two parts being secured by the lower section, and a recessed cross-piece in which said lower section rests.

l2. Means for focusing opera-glasses or similar articles, comprising in its construction a shank with a squared bore, a ange on the shank, a sleeve sliding on the said shank and made of two parts secured together, and provided with an annular recess so that the walls at the end of the recess engage the flange to limit the longitudinal movement of the sleeve, and internal screw-threads in the sleeve.

13. Means for focusing an opera-glass comprising in its construction a shank with a squared bore, a ange on the shank, a sleeve sliding on said shank and made of two parts secured together and provided with an annular recess, so that the walls at the ends of the recess engage the flange to limit the longitudinal movement of the sleeve.

14:.- As an article of manufacture, a spindle having a collar with external screw-threads and a squared end, a shank fitting said squared end, a sleeve free to turn on said shank, means to limit the longitudinal movement of said sleeve, and internal screwthreads in said sleeve fitting the screw-thread on said collar.

Signed in the city, county, and State ot' New York this 14th day of October, 1902.

J. W. RIGLANDER. BERNARD H. BLANK.

Witnesses:

CHAS. G. HENsLnY, SOPHIE SEKosKY. 

